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THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day: Anyelo Encarnación Drives Peoria With One Big Swing St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurPeoria did not get the win Saturday night, but Anyelo Encarnación made sure the Chiefs had a chance.Encarnación is the Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day after going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, one run scored and one stolen base in Peoria’s 6-3 loss to West Michigan at Dozer Park.His final line:2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, SBThat is a productive night, and in Peoria’s case, it was the entire offense.The Chiefs were locked in a scoreless game until the bottom of the fourth, when Encarnación delivered the swing of the night. With two runners aboard, he launched his eighth home run of the season, giving Peoria a 3-0 lead and putting the Chiefs in position to win.For a while, it looked like that might be enough.Tanner Franklin was excellent on the mound, allowing just one earned run over five innings while striking out eight. Peoria had the lead when Franklin left the game, and Encarnación’s three-run homer was the reason.But West Michigan chipped away late, scoring once in the sixth, three times in the seventh and once more in the eighth to turn Peoria’s lead into a 6-3 loss.Still, Encarnación’s night should not get lost in the final score.He drove in all three of Peoria’s runs. He collected two of the Chiefs’ seven hits. He added his 12th stolen base of the season. He gave the lineup both power and speed, which is exactly the kind of combination that can change a game quickly.That matters for a player still trying to build consistency at High-A.Encarnación entered the night looking to keep pushing his offensive profile forward, and Saturday gave him one of his better all-around games of the season. The average is still a work in progress, but the tools showed up. He impacted the baseball, produced runs, and created pressure on the bases.Peoria got two hits from Jack Gurevitch and two more from Michael Dattalo, while Josh Kross singled and scored. But the run production belonged entirely to Encarnación.One swing gave Peoria a three-run lead.One swing put Franklin in position for a win.One swing made Encarnación the top offensive performer in the Cardinals’ system for the day.The Chiefs did not finish it, but Encarnación did his job.Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day: Anyelo Encarnación, 2B, Peoria Chiefs Final Line: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, SB The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit:Anyelo Encarnación, 2B, Peoria Chiefs | MiLB

MiLB Player of the Day: Anyelo Encarnación

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Tanner Franklin, Fans 8 in Strong Start for Peoria St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurTanner Franklin deserved a better ending Saturday night.Franklin is the Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day after giving Peoria five strong innings in the Chiefs’ 6-3 loss to West Michigan at Dozer Park.His final line:5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 KThat is a winning pitching line, even if the box score did not reward him with the win.Franklin gave Peoria exactly what it needed from a starter. He limited West Michigan to just two hits, allowed only one earned run, walked one and struck out eight. He threw 79 pitches, 49 for strikes, and kept the Whitecaps’ lineup under control through five innings.The Chiefs gave him a lead in the fourth when Anyelo Encarnación launched a three-run home run, putting Peoria ahead 3-0. Franklin gave one run back in the fifth, but he left the game with the Chiefs still in front, 3-1.That should have been enough.Unfortunately for Peoria, the bullpen could not hold it. West Michigan scored once in the sixth, three times in the seventh and once more in the eighth to turn Franklin’s strong start into a frustrating loss.Still, the performance on the mound should not get buried in the final score.Franklin missed bats, worked efficiently enough to complete five innings, and kept the ball in the park. He faced 17 batters, struck out eight of them, and forced West Michigan to chase the game while he was on the mound.That is the kind of start a club can build around.Peoria pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts on the night, but Franklin set the tone. His fastball played, his secondary stuff missed bats, and he kept the Whitecaps from putting together any real traffic until the fifth.There is always a little sting when a starter does his job and the game slips away later. But development does not always show up cleanly in the win-loss column. Sometimes it shows up in the line, in the strikeouts, in the command, and in the ability to give your club a chance.Franklin did all of that Saturday.Five innings. Two hits. One earned run. Eight strikeouts.That is a strong night’s work.And even in a Peoria loss, it earned him the spotlight.Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day: Tanner Franklin, RHP, Peoria Chiefs Final Line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: <a href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com" data-mce-href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Tanner Franklin, Peoria Chiefs | MiLB

MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Tanner Franklin

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Farm Report: Franklin Fans Eight, Encarnación Drives Peoria, Springfield Takes Over First St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurSaturday was not a pretty night across the Cardinals’ full-season affiliates, but there were still a few performances worth pulling out of the box scores.The system finished 1-3, with Springfield providing the lone win — and it was a good one. The Cardinals shut out Northwest Arkansas, 3-0, and moved into first place in the Texas League North second-half standings.Peoria lost despite a strong start from Tanner Franklin and a three-RBI night from Anyelo Encarnación. Memphis fell to Durham, while Palm Beach let a late lead get away against Tampa.Memphis Redbirds — Triple-A Overall Record: 57-44 Second Half: 10-16, 9th in the International League West, 7.0 GB Streak: L1Durham 9, Memphis 4Memphis dropped a 9-4 decision to Durham at AutoZone Park, with the game turning in the middle innings.The Redbirds were held scoreless through the first four frames before getting on the board in the fifth. Durham, meanwhile, scored four in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth, one in the eighth and one more in the ninth.Jurrangelo Cijntje struck out six over 4.1 innings, but Durham reached him for five runs on seven hits and three walks. Brycen Mautz followed and had command trouble, walking four over 1.2 innings while allowing two runs. Ryan Murphy allowed one unearned run over 1.1 innings, and Durbin Feltman struck out four over 1.2 innings but allowed a solo homer.Memphis finished with 10 hits but no home runs. Colton Ledbetter went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a walk. Leo Bernal continued to produce, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, pushing his RBI total to 61. Ramón Mendoza reached three times with a hit and two walks, while Noah Mendlinger, Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, César Prieto and Ramón Urías each added hits.Takeaway: Memphis had traffic and 10 hits, but the pitching staff issued nine walks and Durham made the Redbirds pay.Springfield Cardinals — Double-A Overall Record: 47-47 Second Half: 16-10, 1st in the Texas League North Streak: W3Springfield 3, Northwest Arkansas 0Springfield was the bright spot of the night, shutting out Northwest Arkansas, 3-0, and moving into first place in the Texas League North second-half race.This was a clean, professional win.Liam Doyle set the tone with five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out four. Jack Findlay followed with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts, and Nolan Sparks finished it with two scoreless frames and three strikeouts of his own.Springfield pitchers combined for a six-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts.The offense did just enough. Jesús Báez went 2-for-4 with his 11th home run of the season and drove in a run. Trey Paige also homered, his fifth, and drove in a run. Won-Bin Cho doubled, Zach Levenson doubled, and Dakota Harris singled and stole his 26th base.The Cardinals scored single runs in the first, fifth and sixth innings, and the pitching staff made that stand.Takeaway: Springfield has won three straight and now sits alone in first place. Doyle, Findlay and Sparks combined for one of the best pitching efforts of the night.Peoria Chiefs — High-A Overall Record: 45-49 Second Half: 13-15, 5th in the Midwest League West, 5.5 GB Streak: L1West Michigan 6, Peoria 3Peoria had the Player of the Day and Pitcher of the Day, but not the win.The Chiefs built a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning on one swing from Anyelo Encarnación, who hit a three-run homer and drove in all of Peoria’s runs. Encarnación finished 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base, earning Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day honors.Jack Gurevitch added two hits and raised his average to .306. Michael Dattalo also had two hits, while Josh Kross singled and scored.On the mound, Tanner Franklin was excellent. He worked five innings, allowing just two hits, one earned run, walking one and striking out eight. That was enough to earn him Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day honors.The game got away from Peoria’s bullpen. West Michigan scored once in the sixth, three times in the seventh and once in the eighth. Rubén Menes allowed three runs in the seventh, including a home run, and the Whitecaps took control from there.Takeaway: Franklin gave Peoria a strong start, and Encarnación supplied the offense, but the bullpen could not protect the lead.Palm Beach Cardinals — Low-A Overall Record: 48-46 Second Half: 15-13, 2nd in the Florida State League East, 1.5 GB Streak: L2Tampa 9, Palm Beach 4Palm Beach let this one slip away late.The Cardinals led 4-3 after four innings, but Tampa scored once in the seventh and then broke the game open with five runs in the ninth.Palm Beach managed only four hits, but the Cardinals used walks, speed and situational offense to build an early lead. Trevor Haskins went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two stolen bases. Sebastian Dos Santos singled, scored and stole two bases. Matthew Miura singled and drove in a run, while Yairo Padilla and Johnfrank Salazar each drove in runs.Palm Beach stole six bases as a team, with Ryan Mitchell also stealing two.On the mound, Brandon Clarke struck out four over 2.1 innings but allowed two runs. Zeke Wood struck out both batters he faced. Gabriel Chinchilla gave Palm Beach 3.2 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, while striking out six. The trouble came late, as Yadiel Batista allowed five runs in the ninth.Takeaway: Palm Beach had the lead early and ran wild on the bases, but Tampa’s five-run ninth turned a close game into a frustrating loss.Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day Anyelo Encarnación, 2B, Peoria ChiefsEncarnación earns the honor after going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base in Peoria’s loss to West Michigan.He drove in all three of Peoria’s runs with one swing and added value on the bases.Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day Tanner Franklin, RHP, Peoria ChiefsFranklin gets the nod after throwing five strong innings, allowing just two hits, one earned run, walking one and striking out eight.His final line:5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 KIt was a strong outing, even if the bullpen could not hold the lead.Final Word Saturday’s farm report belonged to Springfield.The Cardinals won their third straight, threw a shutout, and moved into first place in the Texas League North second-half standings.Peoria had two of the best individual performances of the night with Anyelo Encarnación and Tanner Franklin, but the Chiefs could not finish the game. Memphis had 10 hits but too many walks from the pitching staff. Palm Beach had speed and an early lead, but Tampa took it away late.The system went 1-3, but Springfield’s rise to first place gives the day a headline worth keeping. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: <a href="http://www.cardinalchronicle.com">www.cardinalchronicle.com</a>Photo Credit: Route 66 Stadium, Springfield Cardinals | Springfield Cardinals

The Farm Report: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly & the Uglier

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cardinals Waste Dustin May’s Strong Start, Fall to Reds 4-2 St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals had the pitching.They did not have enough offense.That has become a familiar and frustrating sentence.Dustin May gave the Cardinals six innings of one-run baseball Friday night at Busch Stadium, striking out eight and handing St. Louis a late lead. Blaze Jordan delivered the one swing the Cardinals needed in the fifth inning, a two-run double that briefly put St. Louis in front.Then the lead disappeared.The Cincinnati Reds scored twice in the seventh on Eugenio Suárez’s two-run homer, added an insurance run in the ninth, and beat the Cardinals 4-2 in the opener of the weekend series.It was another winnable game that got away.It was also another night when the Cardinals’ offense gave their pitching staff almost no room to breathe.St. Louis finished with two runs on two hits.Two.That is hard to survive against anyone. It is even harder to survive against a division opponent when the starter gives you the kind of outing that should be good enough to win.May was more than good enough.He worked six innings, allowing one run on seven hits, walking one and striking out eight. He threw 89 pitches, 59 for strikes, and spent most of the night keeping Cincinnati from turning traffic into damage. The Reds had baserunners. They had chances. They put pressure on him.May kept answering.The Reds had two hits in the first inning, but May got Spencer Steer to ground out and kept the game scoreless. He worked a clean second. He gave up a single in the third but struck out JJ Bleday and Eugenio Suárez around it. The fourth inning brought Cincinnati’s first run, but even that came after May nearly worked his way through another tight spot.Bleday opened the fourth with a single. Suárez singled with one out, and after Nick Lowe struck out, Steer walked to load the bases. Tyler Stephenson then drove a ground-rule double to right, scoring Bleday and giving Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.That could have become a crooked inning.May did not let it.With the bases still loaded, he struck out Will Benson Myers to end the inning and keep the Cardinals within one run.That was the kind of pitch a starter has to make.May made it.He continued to battle in the fifth and then escaped his biggest test in the sixth. Cincinnati loaded the bases with one out after Suárez walked and Lowe and Stephenson singled. With the Reds threatening to stretch the lead, May got Myers to ground into a fielder’s choice, with Blaze Jordan throwing home to cut down Suárez.Then May got Leo Arroyo to fly out to right.Still 1-0.Still within reach.The problem was that the Cardinals’ offense had done almost nothing against Rhett Lowder.Lowder did not overpower St. Louis with a dominant line, but he controlled the game well enough. The Cardinals went quietly through the first four innings, striking out, rolling over and failing to build anything. JJ Wetherholt drew a walk in the third, but Jordan Walker grounded into a double play.The Cardinals were stuck.Then the fifth finally gave them a chance.Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch to open the inning. Lars Nootbaar grounded out, moving Herrera to second. Masyn Winn struck out, leaving the Cardinals down to one out and still trailing by a run.Nathan Church walked.That brought Jordan to the plate.Jordan came through, driving a sharp double to left field. Herrera scored. Church scored. The Cardinals had a 2-1 lead.That was the swing St. Louis needed.It also turned out to be the only real offensive moment of the night.The Cardinals had May on the mound, a one-run lead in hand and a chance to take control of the series opener. But with this offense, every lead feels fragile because there is rarely enough add-on pressure behind it.Friday night was another example.The Cardinals did not get another hit until Jimmy Crooks doubled in the eighth. They did not score after Jordan’s double. They finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left only three men on base, mostly because they did not put enough traffic on the bases in the first place.Two hits.Three walks.Nine strikeouts.That was the offensive line.It wasted May’s night.George Soriano took over in the seventh with a 2-1 lead, and Cincinnati flipped the game quickly. Sal Stewart singled to open the inning. Soriano struck out Bleday and got Suárez into a two-out spot after Stewart remained aboard.Then Suárez changed the game.He drove a two-run home run to left-center field, giving Cincinnati a 3-2 lead. One swing. Two runs. Game flipped.That was the difference.Soriano entered with the lead and left with the loss and a blown save. He allowed two runs on three hits in one inning, and the mistake to Suárez gave the Reds all the late offense they needed.Ryan Stanek gave the Cardinals a clean eighth, striking out two. Luis Gastelum took the ninth and had trouble finding the zone. Elly De La Cruz reached, stole second, and eventually scored when Stewart singled to left. That pushed Cincinnati’s lead to 4-2 and gave Emilio Pagán more breathing room in the ninth.The Cardinals had one last chance to make noise.They did not.Burleson flied out to center. Herrera struck out. Nootbaar struck out. Pagán closed it with a clean ninth, and Cincinnati walked out of Busch Stadium with a series-opening win.The Reds finished with four runs on 11 hits. Suárez had the biggest swing of the night, going 2-for-4 with the two-run homer and two RBIs. Stewart had two hits and drove in the insurance run. Stephenson had two hits, including the ground-rule double that opened the scoring. De La Cruz singled, walked, stole two bases and scored the final run.Cincinnati had plenty of chances and did not cash in all of them. The Reds went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.The Cardinals still could not take advantage.That is the part that stings.May gave them six strong innings. Cincinnati left runners everywhere. The Cardinals had a 2-1 lead after five innings. Milwaukee lost earlier in the night. This was sitting there as an opportunity to bank a division win at home and maybe make up a little ground.Instead, the Cardinals lost another game in which the pitching gave them a real chance.The offensive drought is no longer just a one-night story.St. Louis scored one run Wednesday in Anaheim and won only because Hunter Dobbins and the bullpen threw a shutout. The Cardinals scored six Thursday against Arizona, but most of that came late after the Diamondbacks had already taken control. Friday, they were back to almost nothing.Two hits.That is not enough.Not for a club trying to stay in the postseason picture.Not against Cincinnati.Not at home.Not when the starter gives you six innings and eight strikeouts.The lineup had almost no answers. Wetherholt walked twice but went hitless. Walker went 0-for-4. Burleson went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Herrera scored but struck out twice. Nootbaar went 0-for-4. Winn went hitless. Church walked and scored. Jordan had the double and both RBIs. Crooks had the only other hit.That was it.The Cardinals are living on too many thin margins right now. When the pitching breaks, the game gets away. When the pitching holds, the offense often does not provide enough cushion. When they finally get a lead, one mistake can erase it because there are no extra runs stacked behind it.That is a hard way to stay in a race.May deserved better. He was not perfect, but he competed through traffic and gave the Cardinals a winning start. He kept Cincinnati to one run through six innings. He escaped jams. He missed bats. He did his job.The Cardinals did not finish it behind him.That has happened too often.The loss drops St. Louis to 52-51 and adds another layer of frustration to a stretch that has already had too many missed opportunities. The Cardinals returned home needing to steady themselves after a rocky road trip and Thursday’s makeup-game loss to Arizona. Instead, they dropped the opener to a Reds team trying to climb back into the picture itself.There are still two games left in the series.That is the practical reality.But Friday night was there to be won.The Cardinals had the lead.They had the starter.They had the chance.They did not have the offense.And because of that, one seventh-inning swing from Suárez was enough to send the Reds past St. Louis, 4-2. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Cardinals Waste Dustin May’s Strong Start, Fall to Reds 4-2

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Could Emerson Hancock Require Another Three-Team Deal? St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurIf the Cardinals are serious about reshaping their rotation without simply chasing short-term fixes, Emerson Hancock is exactly the kind of name that should at least be part of the conversation.Not because he is the biggest name on the market.Not because he would create a headline that shakes the deadline.But because he fits.Hancock is 27 years old, under club control through 2030, and in the middle of a strong season with the Seattle Mariners. Through 19 starts, he has posted a 3.16 ERA and a 1.006 WHIP, giving Seattle reliable innings while also making him one of the more interesting controllable arms potentially available.For the Cardinals, that matters.This organization does not need another short-term patch. It needs starting pitchers who can fit into the 2027, 2028 and 2029 picture. It needs arms who can take the ball, cover innings, and give the club some stability as it attempts to build something that lasts beyond the next homestand.That is why Hancock makes sense.The problem is not the fit.The problem is the cost.Seattle is not expected to move Hancock just to move him. The Mariners are trying to win, and if they subtract from their rotation, they are going to want something that helps their big-league club immediately.According to recent reports, Seattle’s preference in any Hancock deal would be an impactful right-handed bat.That is where things get complicated for St. Louis.The Cardinals do have right-handed bats, but the names Seattle would likely ask about are not the kind of players St. Louis should be eager to move.Jordan Walker should not be in that conversation.Iván Herrera should not be in that conversation.Blaze Jordan should not be treated like a casual throw-in just because he is still trying to establish himself.If the Cardinals are trying to build a younger, more sustainable core, moving one of those bats to land Hancock may solve one problem while creating another.That is why a straight two-team trade may not be the cleanest path.A three-team deal might be.The Cardinals and Mariners already have recent history in that department. Earlier this year, St. Louis sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle in a three-team trade that also involved Tampa Bay. In return, the Cardinals added Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete, Colton Ledbetter and two Competitive Balance Round B draft selections.That deal did more than move Donovan.It showed that these front offices can work through a layered trade structure. It also showed that the Cardinals were willing to get creative if the end result helped reshape the farm system and future roster.A Hancock deal could require the same kind of creativity.The simplest version would look something like this: the Cardinals move a desirable asset to a third club, that club sends the right-handed bat Seattle wants, and Hancock ends up in St. Louis.Easy to write.Much harder to execute.Three-team deals are complicated because every club has to feel like it addressed its own need. Seattle would need the bat. The third team would need to value whatever St. Louis sends out. The Cardinals would need to land Hancock without damaging the very core they are trying to build around.Still, that may be the kind of deal worth exploring.If the Cardinals are moving short-term pieces at the deadline, this is the kind of return they should be targeting. Not just lottery tickets. Not just lower-level depth. Not just another arm for the sake of adding an arm.A controllable starter.A pitcher who could be part of the next real Cardinals rotation.That is the difference between selling and building.The Cardinals should not be interested in tearing things down just to say they tore things down. They should be trying to turn present-day value into future Major League pieces. Hancock would fit that idea.There are reasons to be cautious.Hancock is not an ace. He is not a guaranteed front-line starter. His value is tied to command, efficiency, durability and whether his current success can hold over a larger sample. The Cardinals also have to be careful not to overpay just because a pitcher is controllable.Control matters.Performance matters more.But if the price is right, Hancock is a name worth taking seriously.The Cardinals need rotation stability. Seattle needs offense. A third club might need what St. Louis has to offer.That is where the three-team possibility becomes interesting.The Donovan trade proved these clubs can think creatively.Now the question is whether the Cardinals can do it again.Because if they are going to move pieces at the deadline, this is the kind of move that makes sense.Not just selling.Rebuilding the rotation. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Emerson Hancock, Seatlle Mariners | Seattle Times

Could Emerson Hancock Require Another Three-Team Deal?

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Game Day Preview: Cardinals Turn to Pallante After Letting Another Win Slip Away St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals will try to even their weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds tonight at Busch Stadium after allowing another winnable game to slip through their hands Friday night.First pitch is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. CT.Right-hander Andre Pallante will start for St. Louis against Cincinnati right-hander Hunter Greene. The game will be televised on Cardinals.TV and Reds.TV and carried on KMOX.Cincinnati enters at 48-54 after winning Friday’s series opener, while the Cardinals have fallen to 52-51. Greene is 2-1 with a 6.06 ERA and 26 strikeouts. Pallante is 10-6 with a 4.02 ERA and 75 strikeouts. (MLB.com)The Cardinals still lead the season series 4-2, but that advantage will offer little comfort after Friday’s 4-2 defeat.Dustin May delivered one of his best starts since his complete-game shutout in June, holding Cincinnati to one run over six innings while striking out eight. He gave the Cardinals exactly what they needed.The offense and bullpen failed to finish the job.St. Louis did not record its first hit until the fifth inning, when Blaze Jordan doubled home Iván Herrera and Nathan Church to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. It was the club’s only hit of the night.Cincinnati reclaimed the lead in the seventh when Sal Stewart singled and Eugenio Suárez drove a George Soriano slider 435 feet into the left-center-field seats for a two-run home run.The Reds added an insurance run in the ninth after Elly De La Cruz walked, stole second, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on another Stewart single. Emilio Pagán retired the Cardinals in order in the bottom of the inning to complete Cincinnati’s third consecutive victory and fifth win in seven games. (Reuters)The Cardinals have reached the point where there are no consolation prizes for quality starts.May pitched well enough to win Friday. Hunter Dobbins pitched well enough to win Wednesday in Anaheim. Michael McGreevy has repeatedly pitched better than his record suggests.Eventually, the offense must provide more than one productive inning, and the bullpen must protect the leads it inherits.The Cardinals have now lost seven of their last nine games since entering the second half with a victory in Arizona. During that stretch, they have blown a seven-run lead, lost on a walk-off hit-by-pitch, surrendered another late lead and been held to two runs or fewer four times.That is not merely a short run of bad luck.It is a team failing to play complete baseball.Tonight, the responsibility begins with Pallante.The 27-year-old has been one of the Cardinals’ steadiest starters this season, reaching double digits in victories while making all 19 of his appearances in the rotation. He has thrown 105⅓ innings with a 1.26 WHIP and has gone 4-2 with a 4.10 ERA over his last seven starts. (MLB.com)Pallante’s strength remains his ability to generate ground balls and work efficiently when his sinker is moving through the lower part of the strike zone.When he stays ahead, he can produce quick outs and pitch deep enough to keep the Cardinals away from the vulnerable middle innings of their bullpen.When the sinker remains over the middle of the plate or his breaking pitches fail to finish, opponents can string together hard contact quickly.That was the story of his previous start Sunday in Arizona.Pallante carried a no-hit bid through five innings while the Cardinals built a 7-0 lead. The Diamondbacks finally broke through in the sixth, scoring three runs against him before beginning a comeback that eventually produced an 8-7 victory in 10 innings.Pallante finished with three runs allowed on five hits over 5⅓ innings. (Reuters)The final result cannot be placed entirely on the starting pitcher. A seven-run lead should survive three runs against the starter.Still, Pallante has an opportunity tonight to help put that collapse — and a difficult week — behind him.He will face a Cincinnati lineup that has become increasingly dangerous.Stewart continues to produce in the middle of the order. Suárez remains capable of changing a game with one mistake. De La Cruz can create a run with his legs even when he does not collect a hit, as he demonstrated in the ninth inning Friday.Tyler Stephenson also drove home Cincinnati’s first run with a ground-rule double, while JJ Bleday and Spencer Steer helped create the inning.The Reds did not overpower May throughout Friday’s game. They simply took advantage of enough opportunities to win.That is something the Cardinals have not done consistently.Pallante must keep De La Cruz off base, control the running game and avoid allowing Stewart or Suárez to hit with multiple runners aboard. Cincinnati is too dangerous in motion to be given extra bases through walks, wild pitches or defensive mistakes.The greater challenge may belong to the Cardinals’ hitters.Greene’s 6.06 ERA is misleading because his season consists of only three starts following surgery in March to remove bone chips from his right elbow.The Reds activated Greene from the 60-day injured list on July 4 after he completed his rehabilitation assignment. (MLB.com)His return began poorly. Greene allowed eight runs on seven hits and four walks over 3⅓ innings against Baltimore.He responded by throwing seven scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs, allowing three hits while striking out 12. In his most recent start at Colorado, he allowed three runs on four hits over six innings and struck out seven without issuing a walk. (CBS Sports)Those three outings tell the story.The season ERA still reflects the disastrous debut, but Greene has allowed only three runs with 19 strikeouts over 13 innings in his last two starts.He appears to be finding his rhythm.When healthy, Greene has some of the most overpowering raw stuff in baseball. His fastball can reach triple digits, and his slider gives him a swing-and-miss weapon when hitters gear up for velocity.The Cardinals cannot allow Greene’s fastball to control the pace of their at-bats.A lineup facing elite velocity often begins swinging earlier and expanding the strike zone because hitters fear falling behind. That approach plays directly into Greene’s hands.St. Louis must force him to work.The Cardinals need to lay off elevated fastballs outside the zone, recognize the slider and make Greene throw strikes over the plate. He has already demonstrated that he can dominate when he gets comfortable and works ahead.The Cardinals also cannot repeat Friday’s offensive approach.One hit will not win many Major League games.Blaze Jordan deserves credit for making that hit count, driving in both Cardinals runs after Herrera was hit by a pitch and Church drew a walk. But the rest of the lineup produced almost nothing.JJ Wetherholt drew a walk to become the Cardinals’ first baserunner in the fourth inning. Herrera reached when he was hit. Church walked. Jordan doubled.That was essentially the entire offense.Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar and the rest of the lineup must give Pallante more support tonight.Walker remains the Cardinals’ most dangerous power threat, but Cincinnati successfully kept him from changing Friday’s game. Burleson has been one of the club’s most consistent hitters, yet the Cardinals need production to come from more than one or two spots in the order.They need traffic at the top, damage in the middle and competitive at-bats near the bottom.The concern is not simply that the Cardinals are losing.It is how they are losing.They built a seven-run lead and lost in Arizona. They carried a lead into the ninth inning and lost in Anaheim. They received six scoreless innings from Dobbins but scored only once. They wasted May’s six innings of one-run baseball Friday.The Cardinals are repeatedly leaving themselves with no margin for error.The offense scores just enough to create hope. The starter keeps the game close. Then one mistake, one home run or one difficult bullpen inning changes everything.That is a hard way to survive a postseason race.Friday’s loss dropped St. Louis below the position it occupied when this difficult stretch began. The National League Wild Card field remains crowded, with Arizona, Pittsburgh, Miami and Washington all close enough to make every result matter. Before Friday’s games, the Cardinals were 1½ games behind Arizona for the final Wild Card position. (MLB.com)The Cardinals cannot control what those teams do tonight.They can control whether Cincinnati leaves Busch Stadium with another victory.Oliver Marmol may also need to manage the bullpen with greater urgency.Soriano entered Friday with the Cardinals leading 2-1 and surrendered the decisive home run. Luis Gastelum allowed the insurance run in the ninth after a walk, stolen base and wild pitch.With JoJo Romero unavailable following his appendicitis and Riley O’Brien struggling recently, the Cardinals do not have the luxury of clearly defined late-inning roles.The best available reliever may need to pitch when the game is on the line, whether that moment arrives in the sixth, seventh or eighth inning.Saving a pitcher for the ninth does little good when the lead disappears in the seventh.Tonight is not technically a must-win game. Baseball people are reluctant to use that phrase in July because there are still too many games remaining.But the Cardinals need to begin winning games that look and feel winnable.They have Pallante on the mound. They are playing at home. They still hold the season-series advantage over Cincinnati. They have another opportunity to stop a difficult stretch before the Cubs arrive Monday.The Reds are playing with confidence.The Cardinals are playing as though every small mistake might become fatal.The cure is not complicated.Score early. Add on. Give Pallante room to pitch. Use the bullpen when the leverage demands it. Finish all 27 outs.The Cardinals have spent most of the past week explaining how games slipped away.Tonight would be a good time to stop explaining and start winning.I kept it as one continuous article, without the sectional dividers. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Cardinals Turn to Pallante After Letting Another Win Slip Away

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Cardinals Turn to Pallante After Letting Another Win Slip...